It was an enchanting, gorgeous baby blue-sky opening day at the ballpark.

Except for a couple of dreary, dreadful, foul, vile things.

In the swirling wind the Rockies blew a victory.

Wait ’til next year?

No, as a point in fact, wait ’til 2010.

Before the game the Rockies confessed that general manager Dan O’Dowd and manager Clint Hurdle had “agreed” to two-year extensions on their contracts, which were supposed to evaporate charitably at the end of this season.

Three more years? Why not contracts that last from here to eternity?

Someone please explain to us exactly why The Roxy Twins got these new deals.

The Monfort Boys were too busy sitting behind the dugout and having the poor people kiss their rings to hold a news conference, probably because they knew they couldn’t explain why and they would have been embarrassed to admit so.

Obviously, the Rockies weren’t proud enough to announce the contract extensions to the “sellout” crowd. They anticipated the reaction. Everybody wouldn’t have risen to sing the national anthem but to leave in unison.

Also, unlike the usual press releases of every sports team in history, the list of accomplishments of O’Dowd and Hurdle were not included in the news release.

Probably because there are none.

GM O’Dowd “is entering his eighth season in that role.” That’s it. No awards, championships or squawking geese. Ditto, Hurdle.

But, then, we have to remember what O’Dowd bragged after he arrived, arrogantly knowing more about baseball than any of us cowtowners. The Rockies, he proclaimed, wouldn’t win “overnight,” but they would win as they rebuilt and win for a long period of time.

We didn’t expect the Rox to win overnight, but, under O’Dowd’s thumb, they haven’t been winners now for 2,645 nights.

How many thousands and thousands of nights does it take for the Monfort Boys to realize that O’Dowd is just a modern-day “Professor” Harold Hill who has convinced Denver to buy 76 trombones and band uniforms.

And Hurdle is just along for the ride.

Even though the Monfort Boys said before spring training O’Dowd and Hurdle were not joined at the hip, that their futures would be determined independently, they are joined at the hip, according to O’Dowd. “We’re in this thing together,” he said.

Lamentably, we’re all in this “thing” together until 2010, when the Monfort Boys will give O’Dowd another three years because the team is almost on the verge of winning.

Willy Taveras is the new highly acclaimed center fielder, obtained in a trade that cost the Rockies their best pitcher.

In the third inning Taveras didn’t run in the correct direction for a ball slapped to center. Double. At the plate he struck out four times. With runners on first and second, no outs, and the Rockies trailing by two runs in the eighth, Taveras couldn’t bunt his mates to second and third. A following groundout would have scored one.

Taveras was replaced in center by Steve Finley, who will be there permanently soon enough.

LaTroy Hawkins was the veteran setup man O’Dowd signed. Some baseballers in cities where he had pitched laughed. In the eighth Monday, Hawkins permitted three runs. End of game.

The players didn’t win one for O’Dowd, Hurdle and the Monforts.

Isn’t somebody going to do something about this runaway train? Or we can let them continue to blame The Denver Post.

Sure, the Rockies had a “sellout” (with several hundred empty seats in the right-field decks), but thousands departed even before the Rockies’ final turn at bat. They knew. They’d been there before.

Couldn’t the Rockies have delayed the contract extensions until after the team won at least one game? Or not done it on opening day and ruined lunch? The statement said O’Dowd and Hurdle “agreed” to the extensions. Agreed? As if they have other choices. Nobody else wants them to manage or general manage. The Rockies’ ownership didn’t want a distraction. Now, they’ll have a three-year distraction.

And don’t you have to earn a contract extension? O’Dowd and Hurdle have been a couple of losers. Look up their records. And even if they lose again this season, they’ll still have two more years.

Other than that, the mayor, the governor, 40-something-thousand, Mrs. Lincoln and I had a very nice opening day.

When New England won the toss, Patriots captain Devin McCourty thought: “As soon as I saw it was heads, I was like: I’ve seen this before. I know what happens at the end of this one.” Does the NFL need to change its overtime rules?

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, despite being the only center among the NBA’s top 10 in assists per game (7.7) while leading also leading the Northwest division leaders in scoring (19.6 per game) and rebounding (10.0 per contest), ranked No. 7 among Western Conference frontcourt players in the NBA All-Star Game fan voting (1.128 million votes) as of Jan. 17.